


Reset Reaction

by sunshinejihyun



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26077561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinejihyun/pseuds/sunshinejihyun
Summary: Childhood friends reconnect under the circumstances of Mint Eye
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character, 707 | Choi Luciel/Reader, Han Jumin/Main Character, Han Jumin/Reader, V | Kim Jihyun & Main Character, V | Kim Jihyun & Reader, V | Kim Jihyun/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 15





	1. Where You're Meant To Be

You didn’t remember much from your childhood. In a way, that was probably a good thing; there were a lot of things that you didn’t want to remember. But two people from your childhood stuck out to you like a sore thumb: a dark haired boy with kind grey eyes named Jumin and bright, cerulean colored boy named Jihyun-who you were absolutely in love with as a seven year old.

You, Jihyun, and Jumin had been the only few children who were in the neighborhood you grew up in, so you all became fast friends, even though you were a few years younger than them, you spent the summer days playing tag and made snowmen in the winter. As you three were granted more freedom (more freedom meaning that you were able to walk two blocks to the convenience store, some money jingling in each of your pockets to buy some candy) Jihyun would proudly parade you around those two blocks, holding your intertwined hands above your heads and exclaim to anyone you passed that you two were “going to get married.” Jumin, of course, fully went along with this idea, just happy for the thought of all of you growing up together. If you and Jihyun were going to get married, then that’s what was going to happen.

You all had spent as much time together as seven year olds could and during that time, and you had grown closer to them than you were with your own family. Jihyun and Jumin were your family now. They comforted you when you were upset and played all sorts of games with you-they even played dress up on a few occasions and you had to admit, Jumin made a wonderful princess. You were three peas in a pod; if you saw one of them, the other two were probably parading close behind.

Your grandmother got sick when you were ten years old, so your father packed your family into a car and off you rode to go stay with her. You were heartbroken, of course; you never got to say goodbye to Jihyun or Jumin. The night before, you told them that you’d see them the next day and now, it was quite possible you’d never see either of them again. During the ride, you found yourself wondering about what Jihyun and Jumin were doing and what they were going to do when they realized you were gone. When tears started pricking your eyes, you quickly shook that thought out of your mind and leaned your head on your mother’s shoulder, quickly falling asleep.

But that was all in the past, your friendship with those two boys, you moving away to help your grandmother. Since your father passed away a few months after you turned 24, you were moving back to your old neighborhood with your mother, to continue carrying on the legacy of your fathers company. In the back of your mind, you found yourself wondering if Jihyun or Jumin would still be living in the same house you knew then to be at or if you’d see either of them again, but you knew that it would be a long shot; even if they were still there, they probably wouldn’t remember you. It was just a silly little childhood friendship.

Settling back into the elite lifestyle was like riding a bike; it was bumpy at first but after that, it was a smooth ride. You got a job working for a company C&R international was overlooking and you earned enough to keep you and your mother living comfortably.

There were a lot of defining moments in your life that made you who you were to this day. But a particular moment one day after work would help define the rest of your life.

You were standing outside of the office you worked in, waiting for your driver to come pick you up at the front when a boy with bright eyes and white hair, tips a little pink approached you. “I have a question for you.”

Looking up from your phone, you glanced at him hesitantly. He didn’t look too strange. What was the harm in answering his question? “What is it?”

“Have you ever wanted to escape this world?” He asked, his eyes almost glowing. “You look like there’s something that’s hurting you. We can help you.”

Glancing around, you didn’t see anyone else with him. “Who’s we?”

“If you come with me,” the boy held out his hand and you could feel yourself being drawn in to this person. His mysterious aura was almost intoxicating. “I can help make all the pain go away.” You must have looked hesitant since he reworded what he wanted to say. “You feel guilt. You carry it on your shoulders. Guilt from your childhood, perhaps?”

You grabbed his outstretched hand without a second thought, and that was the start of a new turning point in your life.

Two weeks after you met Ray and he introduced you to the Mint Eye, you thought everything about the facility was amazing. Everyone seemed so happy and at peace and you had to admit, you wanted to feel that way as well. You wanted the guilt that you hadn’t even realized you still carried about leaving Jumin and Jihyun to go away.

Out of all the believers you’d met in your time there, there was a specific young man who had piqued your curiosity. You didn’t know his name, all you knew is he had mint colored hair and looked like what you imagined Jihyun would look like at an older age. Except he had a deep sadness etched into his face, something you couldn’t imagine ever seeing on your old childhood friends face. So you spent your days watching him from afar, hoping he would show some sort of sign that he was your Jihyun. Little did you know, the young man named Jihyun watched you as well, wondering if you could possibly be the childhood best friend that he spent all his time with - the childhood crush who broke his heart when he woke up one morning to find you had disappeared.

You were a unique case to the Mint Eye. Usually, you’d go through the initiation ceremony as soon as you arrived at the facility. But Ray wanted to make sure you were comfortable and wanted to be there. You appreciated it since it gave you time to make sure this was what you wanted and by the end of the two weeks you spent there, you were sure it’s what you wanted. You wanted to be at peace like all the other believers there. You wanted to belong. So you and Ray finalized everything; he made sure the elixir you had to drink was sweet so you wouldn’t be grossed out and he made sure the savior was going to be there as well.

The night of your induction ceremony you were in your room getting dressed in a nice outfit and one of the Mint Eye’s signature robes that Ray had left out for you, when someone barged into your room, bright eyes blaring in concern. “Don’t go through with this. It’s not safe here.”

You were stunned, seeing the man you had been watching since you came to Mint Eye standing this close to you, his chest heaving up and down in panic. “What do you mean?”

“I have no time to explain. Please, just come with me and I’ll explain everything once we’re safe.” He was already tugging on your arm, looking both ways out of the door before pulling you behind after him.

“Stop.” You pulled your arm away from him and he turned back towards you, mouth hanging open in shock. “I don’t even know who you are. I want to be here, I can be happy here.”

He moved closer to you and cupped your face in both of his hands, staring intently into your eyes and you felt your mind go blank, only able to focus on him; everything about him was intoxicating - from the way he was looking at you to the way his mouth curved when he spoke, he was all you wanted to focus on. “MC, please listen to me. You won’t be safe here. That elixir they want you to take? It will numb parts of your brain, make you susceptible to anything Ray or the Savior wants you to do, and believe me, what they want you to do isn’t good. This isn’t a good place. At the beginning, this place seems like it’s heaven but the longer you stay, the more you become a skeleton of your old self. You won’t ever be able to escape.” His eyes searched yours for a moment and then he released your cheeks, stepping away from you and you found yourself wishing you could look into those bright eyes again. But now wasn’t the time to be thinking such thoughts. “So please come with me, before it’s too late. I just want to help.”

You silently took his hand after that, nervously chewing on your lip as he pulled you along corridors you didn’t even know existed. How would Ray react once he found out you were gone? Would he be able to find you? Those thoughts kept your mind occupied as you followed your rescuer, his grip on your hand still strong. Once you both reached a balcony, he gestured for you to climb down first and you quickly did so, dropping to your feet next to a red haired boy. Your eyes widened in panic and you looked up towards your rescuer who was climbing down as well. “Shh, I’m here to help. We’re going to get you somewhere safe.”

The cyanic hair colored man stumbled when his feet touched the ground and he looked at you, concerne etching in his eyes. “You’re okay? You’re not hurt or anything are you?” He looked towards the other boy before you could answer. “Luciel, you’re able to get us out the rest of the way undetected?”

The redhead - Luciel - nodded and silently led you both to a car, and you were all but pushed in the back seat before your rescuer climbed in behind you, closing the door as Luciel already started down the winding hill, leading you further away from what you thought would be your happiness. After sitting in silence for a moment, you turned to study the man next to you, only to find he was already staring at you. “Who are you? What’s going on?”

“You can call me V. We will explain everything to you once we know we’re safe. Your phone may be bugged and they could listen to everything we’re saying right now. Please, just stay patient with Luciel and I. We only want you to be safe.” You nodded your head, your eyes starting to feel heavy and you leaned your head against the cool window and felt yourself slowly drifting off.

As you woke, you found yourself laying in an unfamiliar bed. Looking around, you noticed the man who rescued you - V, you would remind yourself, was laying on another bed on the other side of the room. His chest moved up and down slowly, signalling he was still asleep. As quietly as you could, you left the room in search of a bathroom.

As you were wandering around the small cabin, you found Luciel sitting in a corner of what you could only presume to be the front room, two laptops sitting in front of him and he was typing away. “Have you been awake all night?”

You had scared him, and he turned around with blazing panic in his eyes. “MC, you’ve got to warn a fella before you sneak up on someone like that!”

You smiled apologetically before setting down on the couch, Luciel closing his laptops and turning to face you. “So, do you want to explain what’s going on?”

He bit his thumb nail and you took that moment to study him. He looked tired - no, exhausted, like this was at least the third night in a row he pulled an all nighter. “I think you should hear it from V.” You were about to protest and he held up his hand. “He holds the information you want. I have parts of it, but none of it makes sense to me. So, wait for V. He’ll explain everything to the best of his ability.”

You nodded, glancing around the room. “Then can I ask where we are?”

“A remote location I had used on another one of my jobs. Speaking of, can I see your phone?”

Handing your phone over, you laughed. “So you’re telling me this isn’t the first time you’ve had to go on a rescue mission to help a damsel in distress escape?” Seeing him fiddle with your phone suddenly raised a question. “Wait. Why do you need my phone?”

“Checking to see if it was bugged. If it is, it’s possible Mint Eye has been listening in to everything we’ve been saying as well as possibly tracking our location.” Pulling something out of the insides of the phone, Luciel smiled triumphantly. “Aha! I knew they wouldn’t let you keep your phone without putting something on it to monitor you. And no, you’re the first damsel in distress I’ve had to rescue, but that doesn’t mean you have to be the last.” He winked at you and you found yourself laughing at his ridiculousness before suddenly stopping your giggles.

You were so confused. Everything you’d learnt about Mint Eye from Ray was apparently a lie, but no one was explaining anything to you yet. “Have you eaten anything? I can make breakfast.”

Luciel gestured to some empty bag of chips on the floor as well as 3 cans of soda laying haphazardly around the laptops. “Meal fit for a king.”

Rolling your eyes, you got up and made your way to the kitchen, jumping back in surprise when you saw V standing in front of the stove, flipping pancakes.

“Sorry, I thought you were still asleep.” You watched as he poured more batter on the pan before he turned to you.

“I woke up as you were leaving the room. I knew Luciel wouldn’t be taking care of himself so I figured breakfast for all of us would help.” V, explained while gesturing to some strawberries that were recently washed. “Want to help? You can cut them.”

You settled beside him, keeping your eyes on the cutting board as you chopped the strawberries into small pieces. “So,”

“So,” V laughed lightly and you could swear that you’d heard that laugh before. It was like a distant memory, tickling at your brain. “Thanks for trusting me last night. I’m sure you’ve got some questions.”

“That’s an understatement.” You stopped cutting the strawberries in favor of looking him in his eyes. “I just want to know what’s going on.”

V sighed, setting down the spatula after putting the last cooked pancake on a plate. “I promise you that I will tell you everything as soon as I can. But let me start by telling you what you can know now.”

You listened patiently as V spoke quietly. He told you how someone he knew got caught up in the Mint Eye and that’s how he knew about it, choosing to go undercover there and try to get them out safely but by the time he discovered how, they had already been corrupted and how when he saw you enter with Ray on the first day, he wanted to make sure the same wouldn’t happen to you, since once you took the mysterious drug, you’d never be the same. He told you in vivid detail what he saw the elixir do to people, although he couldn’t exactly say why that happened to your brain when you took it. He scared you, and you hated the fact that you were so mesmerized by all the promises that Ray gave you that you didn’t see what was happening for yourself.

“V… I don’t know what else to say but thank you. I’m sure I’ll have tons of questions later but right now all I can do is thank you for coming to my rescue.” Your heart was racing as you thought of how close you could have come to joining what, in your mind, was classified as a cult.

“I will do my best to answer your questions but if I cannot at this time, please be patient with me.” V’s eyes pierced into yours and you could feel him pleading you to be as patient as possible. Wanting to comfort him, you gently set your hand over his and he moved his other hand on top, grasping your hand in the both of his. “I will promise you this. I will do whatever it takes for you to be safe, even if that means sacrificing myself.”

Your breath caught in your throat as you studied his face, seeing how sincere and serious V was. You nodded your head, too enamored in his presence to even try to pull away from him.

“MC, have you seen V? He seems to have dis-oh!” Luciel appeared in the doorway to the kitchen and you jerked your hand away from V, trying to quickly resume cutting the strawberries. V’s face was flushed red as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Looks like you found him.”

“I was just making breakfast and MC offered to help.” V replied, setting the plate of pancakes on the small kitchen table and Luciel sat down, reaching for one.

“So, how long are we staying here for?” You questioned as you set the strawberries down before grabbing a pancake of your own and spooning a generous amount of strawberries on top.

V and Luciel exchanged a look and the redhead shrugged his shoulders. “As of right now, indefinitely.”

“I’m sorry, what?!” Your fork clanged onto your plate in surprise and V looked down in his lap, not meeting your eyes. “So you’re telling me that you rescued me from being trapped somewhere and now I’m trapped somewhere else?”

“Don’t think of it as being trapped… think of it as a long vacation that doesn’t have a set end date.” Luciel offered up around a mouthful of food. “We’re not keeping you trapped here, MC. You can go outside, go for a swim in the lake. Do whatever you want to do. We just need you to stay around the area so we can assure your safety.”

“Don’t either of you think all of this is crazy? Why not call the police and tell them what’s going on? Surely they can disband Mint Eye?” V looked up, meeting your eyes and there was an intense look in them.

“We can’t do that right now.”

“And why the hell not? It makes no sense to me why two young men are trying to take down a cult all by themselves.” Standing up, you leaned on the counter across from V and out of the corner of your eye you could see Luciel watching both of you with a new curiosity.

“That’s… not something I can tell you yet. I’m sorry.” V hung his head and you sighed, looking towards Luciel. He silently shrugged his shoulders.

“Okay well, I’m going to go lay down again because this is ridiculous and I need a break from the both of you. V, please work on figuring out how to tell me as soon as possible everything that you know. Not the stripped down version you told me earlier. Luciel, get some rest, you look like hell.” You didn’t bother waiting for either of them to respond, instead opting to work your way back to the room you woke up in and climb in the bed, taking comfort in the fact that you had a little area to call your own.

Curling your knees to your chest, you hugged yourself tightly, trying to settle yourself down. You hated the fact that you didn’t know what was going on. You missed your mother, she was probably worried sick about you. Sure, you had your phone and nothing was stopping from calling, but what would you say? ‘Sorry for not calling, I almost joined a cult and now I’m at a cabin with two guys I barely know who rescued me’? Just the thought of it sounded ridiculous.

There was a knock on the door and when you looked up, V was looking at you wearily. “Can I come in?” You nodded and slid over on the bed some, making room for him to join you. “How are you doing?”

“I’m just frustrated. I know what’s going on to an extent, but it’s annoying that I don’t know the full story. But I am choosing to trust you, so please don’t do anything to break that.” V didn’t respond so you looked up at him. He was staring straight ahead at the blank wall, seemingly lost in thought. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” he replied, brushing his hair out of his eyes and looking down at you.

“That night you rescued me, you called me by my name even though I didn’t tell it to you. How did you know my name?” You suddenly felt self conscious as V studied you curiously, chewing on his lip in thought.

“I heard Ray say it when talking about you to one of the other believers.”

“Oh,” you replied, disappointment settling onto your shoulders like an old worn out blanket. “Sorry, you just remind me of someone I used to know.”

“Would you like to tell me about them?” V’s hand gently brushed yours and before you could even register it, he was pulling his hand away, fiddling with the chain on his neck.

“He was just an old childhood friend. I grew up in a neighborhood with not too many other children but I was close with two boys who were a little older than me. We spent every day together for as much time as our nannies allowed, since all of our parents were too busy to watch us on their own. I moved away one day early in the morning and never saw either of them again. But that hasn’t stopped me from looking from time to time. One of them is an heir to a giant company, and I can see from news reports that he seems to be doing well, but the other has seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.”

“It sounds like you cared deeply for them,” V acknowledged. “If you’re still looking to see what has become of them.”

“Yes, they were more like family to me than anything else.”

“What would you say to them if you could see them again?”

“That I’m sorry for leaving without finding a way to say goodbye. I’m sorry for not looking for them sooner. That I never stopped caring, even after 15 years I still continue cherish our old memories together.” You blinked and realized tears were falling freely down your face. “Sorry,” you laughed sadly. “I don’t know what came over me.”

V brushed a few stray tears off your cheeks, his hands lingering on your face, almost like he was waiting for more tears to fall so he could catch them for you. “You don’t have to apologize for caring, MC. It’s a beautiful thing.”

You smiled at him, grateful that he was so understanding and moved your face from his grasp. “That was the first time I’ve said those words out loud, even though I’ve thought them so many times before. Thank you.”

V’s gaze lingered on you for a few moments before he got up, brushing invisible wrinkles off his shirt. “I should leave you to rest for now.”

You nodded, moving to slip under the covers before stopping him. “Hey, V?” He halted at the doorway, looking at you inquisitively. “Thanks for saving me.”

“Of course,” he replied with a look in his eyes you couldn’t place before exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

-

After comfortably settling into a routine with V and Luciel. - you had learned he normally responds to Seven, but you couldn’t bring yourself to call him that - you found that they could actually be good company. V spent most of his free time with you, either teaching you to take pictures on his camera or going for nature walks, both of you taking endless amounts of photos. When Luciel wasn’t busy typing away on his computers or phones, he sometimes joined you.

A week into hiding out, you had hit the hottest day of the summer. The sun was blaring down on V and your backs as you walked along the mossy forest, you pointing to a lake not too far below. “That’d be nice to swim in today.”

“Do you want to?” V snapped another picture of you when you weren’t looking - you were slowly becoming his favorite thing to photograph. “We could pull Luciel away from the computer for a while and just take some time to relax together.” And that’s how you and V ended up inside, each of you sitting on one side of Luciel as he furiously typed away on his laptop.

“Please, God Seven. Join V and I for a quick swim. You’re starting to look pasty, it’d be good for you to get outside.” You teased and he shot you a glance before turning back to the computer.

“Luciel, anything you’re doing now can wait. The Mint Eye hasn’t tried to hack us in days.” V persuaded, moving to pull the younger man’s headphones off his ears. “Plus, you never know when you’ll get to do this again. We don’t get weather like this much.”

Sighing, Luciel shut his laptop before looking between the two of you. “You two are scary good at ganging up on someone.” Shrugging off his hoodie that never seemed to leave his body, he followed you and V out the door, rolling his eyes as you both cheered in victory. “She’s mean about it and he points out that she’s right, but in a very nice way. Not fair.” He mumbled under his breath and you and V both looked at each other before bursting out into giggles, mocking Luciel the entire way down to the lake.

When you reached the lake, Luciel and V tossed their shirts to the side and you hesitated. “Whats the matter?” V asked and you blushed as your eyes roamed across his shirtless chest.

“I just don’t feel comfortable going in my bra and underwear.” You explained, watching as Luciel wade deeper into the cool water.

“Well here, you can wear my shirt. That way your clothes are still dry when we’re done.” V handed you his black shirt he always wore and you smiled at him gratefully and waited for him to turn his back to you before you pulled off your shirt before quickly putting his on and pulling down your skirt. “Is the water cold?”

“No, it’s great, come in!” Luciel called to you and you hesitantly dipped your big toe in the water before pulling back. “Oh, come on MC. Don’t make me come get you.” He threatened and you laughed before walking in slightly.

“MC, come here,” V waved you over and you looked at him hesitantly. “You’re in the shade right now. The water’s warm once you get in the sun.”

Carefully making your way over to him, you shivered as you submerged yourself more in the cold water. “I guess you’re right,” you admitted and as you moved a little closer to V, your foot slipped on an algae covered rock, the water pulling you under before you could even register what was going on. Preparing to kick yourself up, you startled as two strong hands grabbed you under the armpits and hauled your head back above the water.

“Are you alright?” Your arms were holding on tightly to V’s neck and he was looking at you with concern.

“Yes, I’m fine thank you.” Your hands dropped and you didn’t fail to notice that V’s hands were still holding onto your hips.

“Well isn’t this a touching scene?” A unfamiliar voice called out from the shore and V’s head whipped towards the blonde girl standing there.

“Rika,” V pushed you behind him and Luciel grabbed your wrist, keeping you in place. “What are you doing here?”

“Who is that?” You whispered to Luciel and he shook his head, eyes wide.

“I knew you would find her eventually, V. You played right into my trap.” Rika smiled cynically and you could swear you saw V shudder under her gaze. “MC, it’s so wonderful to finally meet you. I’ve heard lots about you from V and Ray.”

You looked at V who was looking straight ahead, almost like he was refusing to meet your gaze. “What do you mean? Who are you?”

“Oh, Luciel and V haven’t told you about me? Then I should introduce myself.” Rika picked up a piece of clothing that was laying near her feet - V’s jacket. “My name is Rika, but you might have heard of me before. At the Mint Eye people refer to me as the Savior.”

Your blood ran cold and you shivered, moving closer to Luciel for some more warmth. “Then how have you heard about me from V?”

“Oh sweetie, he really hasn’t told you anything, has he?” Rika sat down on the ground and glanced at V before turning her gaze back to you. “V and I used to be lovers before I founded the Mint Eye. We were engaged.”

“Rika, stop this. If you want to talk, talk to me in private. Don’t pull MC into this.” V pleaded, making his way towards her.

“But don’t you see? She’s already involved more than she knows.” Rika held up her hand and V stopped moving closer. “MC, you’ve met this man before many times but you might have known him by a different name. Perhaps Jihyun Kim rings a bell?”

“No,” you gasped as blood rushed in your ears, halting your thought process. “I don’t believe you.”

“Why else did you think Ray recruited you to become part of our paradise?” Rika smiled at you, but there was nothing but a blank look in her eyes. “When V and I were still together, he would mention you. Would ask himself where you were and prayed that you were safe, wherever you were. Once I got word that you were back in the same city as him, I had Ray find you.”

“Why me?” You asked, refusing to look towards your childhood friend. You knew that if you met his eyes that you would break down and you needed to be strong in front of Rika.

“Don’t be stupid, MC. I needed to get closer to you so I could hurt V.”

“Rika, that’s enough.” V’s usually soft spoken tone broke you out of your trance as his voice echoed across the lake. “You caused enough damage. If anything else needs to happen, please just let it happen to me. Don’t involve anyone else anymore. Please.”

“No, I don’t think so. I’m done here for now, but don’t let your guard down. I’ll be back and this time it won’t be just to talk.” Rika replied before getting up and silently making her way away from the lake.

“MC, please listen to me, I-” V was already walking towards you as you broke out of Luciel’s grip,

“No, I don’t want to hear it right now.” You cut him off and brushed past him, going to collect your clothes. “Please leave me alone.”

V’s hand dropped back to his side and you could hear movement in the water. He and Luciel followed behind you, leaving you to yourself and as soon as you made it back to the cabin, you locked yourself in the bathroom and wrapped yourself in a towel.

You were chilled to the bone, but not because of the water of the lake, but because of the information Rika had supplied to you. You weren’t sure how long you sat on the bathroom floor, just playing with the hem of V’s shirt and thinking over everything. You had opened up to him, telling him about the childhood friends you left behind, only to find out that he was one of them. The worst part about it all was that he knew the entire time and never told you. He let you tell him everything about your friendship with each other and didn’t say anything. He let you learn to trust him before Rika came along and shattered all the trust that you were beginning to have.

There was a quiet knock on the door and you got up, opening the door slightly. “I’m sorry, V said to leave you be, but I really had to go to the bathroom.” Noticing the tears tracking down your face, Luciel grabbed your upper arm softly. “Hey, are you okay?” You launched yourself at the taller boy, wrapping your arms around his midsection as you shook your head no, your tears spilling out faster. He hesitantly hugged you back, rubbing soothing circles on your back. “Shh, it’s okay. MC, it’s alright. I’m here.”

You pulled away and wiped your eyes, laughing at yourself a bit. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

“You’re alright, MC. Go into your room and change and let me go to the bathroom and I’ll come sit with you and we can talk, alright?” You nodded, letting go of the redhead before picking up the towel that you had wrapped around your shoulders and made your way to the room you and V had been sharing.You slipped the black shirt you had borrowed from the mint haired man over you head and pulled on the blue blouse and polka dot skirt you had been wearing since the night you escaped from Mint Eye.

Hanging V’s damp shirt on the doorknob to hang and dry, you startled as the door swung open. Laughing at your shocked expression, Luciel made his way inside the room and sat himself down on the bed you had been sleeping on, patting the empty space next to him. You both sat in the quiet for some time, reminding you of the first time that you and V had sat in the same position and you talked about your childhood. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” you admitted, settling your head on his shoulder and Luciel wrapped his arm tightly around your shoulder. “I just feel like everyone’s keeping secrets and I don’t like that, especially since there’s secrets about me.”

“I’m sure you’ve figured this much out, but this is bigger than just you. There’s obviously something deeply wrong with Rika, she and V have some history that is more complicated than everyone originally thought. I was under the impression until a week ago that Rika was dead, so I’m also wanting some answers.” You settled further into Luciel’s chest and he laid down, pulling a sheet over the both you. “I know it’s hard right now, but let’s just give V a little more time to figure things out. He promised the both of us he would tell us everything when he could. We still have hold onto that for now.”

“Luciel, will you stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.” You looked up at him and already found his eyes closed, his breathing slowing. Pulling his glasses off his face and setting them down on the table next to him, you settled yourself back into his chest and closed your eyes, dreamland enveloping you faster than you realized was possible.

The next morning you woke with a start and you reached for the space beside you before realizing it was empty. Luciel must have gotten up at some point, most likely to get back to doing his work on the laptops he had pretty much been glued to.

When you say up, you saw V sitting across the room on his bed, his naked back facing your direction. “Jihyun?”

He startled before turning towards you, an apologetic look in his eyes. “Sorry, it’s been a very long time since anyone has called me that.”

“Can I ask you something?” He nodded, walking towards the door where his shirt was hanging from the day before. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were who I was talking about that first day we sat here?”

He pulled on the shirt and your eyes were glued to the taut muscles moving on his stomach and abs as he did so. “I thought it would be safer if you didn’t know.” He crossed the room and knelt before you, his head staring at your bare feet that were hanging over the edge of the bed. “If you knew, it’d be that much harder for me to leave with Rika. For the both of us.”

“Well I know now,” you responded, absentmindedly brushing a strand of hair back that had fallen into his eyes. “So what happens?”

“The plan’s still the same as always MC. I have to go with Rika because if I don’t, she will drag more innocent people into this.”

“Didn’t you hear her yesterday? She’s not going to stop if you go with her, Jihyun. That will not solve anything.” You balled your hands into fists and sat on top of them, resisting the urge to grab the beautiful boy in front of you and shake him until he gained some sense. “Stay here, tell Luciel and I everything and let us help you figure it out, together.”

“MC, it’s not that simple. I wish it was.” Jihyun grabbed one of your hands and unfurled it, rubbing the crescent shaped marks that were indented in your palm from your fingernails. “I want to tell you everything but I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“I think we’re past the point of secrets.” You stayed and stood up, pulling Jihyun to his feet with you as well. “Please promise me that you’ll at least tell Luciel and I the whole truth.”

And that’s how you all ended up at the kitchen table, much like the first morning you spent with the two boys you’ve been living with. Jihyun started from the beginning, recounting how he had met Rika and it was like an instant connection and how he wanted to help light her way. Eventually, it became obsessive to her and he continued to love her unconditionally, even despite her ruining his eyes. After a charity party they threw with a few friends - Luciel included, Jihyun and Rika had an argument that set her over the edge, causing her to leave him and start carrying her plans out for the Mint Eye. You came into play when Rika realized V was still hanging around Mint Eye, trying to see if there was any piece of the old Rika left. She knew he never got over the childhood abandonment that haunted him when you left so she used you, wanting to prove to V that she was still in control.

In Rika’s mind, everything she was doing seemed right. Jihyun explained that she was severely sick mentally and no matter what kind of help he would try to get her, she would refuse, saying it wasn’t helping and why won’t he love every part of her unconditionally, even her dark side? He told you that she pulled you into the Mint Eye to try and lure him back into her control, she wanted to feel the endless love that he used to give her again. He spoke of how during this time away, taking a lot of time to speak to Luciel about everything, he realized that he once loved her but that the love had turned into an obsession, which is what she now craved. So by sacrificing himself to her once again and showering her in the attention she craves so badly, he hopes to help heal her radical ways and make sure no one else will get pulled into this dark place as well.

“I hope you know that even if you go with her, that won’t solve anything.” Luciel broke the deafening silence. “She needs severe help and I think that you going there and giving her what she thinks she wants would only make things worse.”

“Jihyun, you heard what she said yesterday. She won’t stop until she hurts you. She’s already hurt your eyes! Who’s to say she won’t do worse?” Your voice almost wavered but you kept it steady. You knew Jihyun needed you to stay strong for him to realize that what he wants to do isn’t worth it. “I don’t think you’re thinking this through rationally.”

“She is trying to hurt people I care about, MC.” Jihyun slammed his hand on the table and you jumped, Luciel grabbing onto your hand closest to him. “I can’t let that happen and if that means sacrificing myself then that’s what I need to do. I’m sorry, you won’t understand.”

“Listen, we’re all a little tense right now. That was a lot of information to take in. Let’s just all take a few moments to ourselves and then we’ll talk about everything later tonight. Alright?” Luciel stood up, not even waiting for a response and he walked out of the room, already on a phone call with whom you could only presume was his boss.

“I’m going to go for a walk, would you care to join me?” Jihyun extended his hand towards you and you took hold of it, holding it like you would fine China, afraid he would break if you gripped it too strong.

You both walked together in silence, taking in the familiar sights of the woody forest you’ve both become to memorize. When you both stopped at an old broken bench, not too far away from where you had gone swimming only the day before, you wrapped your arms around his waist, with your face in his chest. He smelled like lake water and you found yourself wishing he smelled like something familiar, something that could ground you to your childhood with him.

Jihyun’s arms remained at his side, his head tilted down towards you. “This feels strange. It’s a new sensation to me.”

“Have you never had someone hug you before?” You asked, squeezing just a little bit tighter, but not enough to be uncomfortable.

“No. No one has ever hugged me or embraced me as you are doing right now.” His fingers lightly stroked your face as you pulled back, wide eyes staring at him intently. “Rika was a person who needed me to embrace her… she didn’t get to embrace me.” Jihyun let out a long breath, and you let go of him completely, moving to sit down on the bench as he did the same. “Uh… it kind of feels heart-fluttering, or dreamy… or comfortable. It’s the kind of special feeling you only get a few times in your life. Thank you, MC.” You stayed silent as you watched him seemingly in deep thought. “You knew me as a child so you know about my mother. She was the only one who ever wanted to embrace me and at the time, I refused her. And by the time I realized that I did want her hugs, it was too late.” He turned to you. “I want to be able to love someone again some day, but I fear what will happen with Rika will happen with someone else as well.”

“I think if you take the time you need to heal properly and take everything slowly, you will be able to love again.” You replied honestly, and you internally yelled at the part of your mind that was saying you wished it was yourself that Jihyun would be able to love in time.

“Thank you, MC. You always seem to know what to say. You… you’re starting to give me hope that I had thought had disappeared, ready to never return.” Jihyun squeezed your shoulder gently before standing up. “I am going to head inside, I want to make sure you and Luciel have something to eat soon. Don’t stay too much longer outside.”

As soon as you lost sight of him, a new figure came into view. “Everything is so much clearer now.”

“Rika, what are you doing here?” You asked, moving to get up but she stood in front of you, her arms on either side of your head, gripping the bench.

“Even if V did come back with me, he could never love me the way he did anymore because he’s fallen in love with you.” Rika’s lips quivered and you noticed a hint of sadness in them.

“Rika, what you want from V isn’t love. It was an obsession. He was obsessed with you. You need to let him go.” Your voice came out stronger than you felt and you were glad for that.

“No… no, no, no. He loved me! I know he did!” Rika shreaked, her fingers gripping your bare shoulders, her fingernails digging in hard enough to break skin. “Stop it, don’t tell me that!” Rika turned away from you for a second turning around, a small knife in her hand. “You took him from me! He will love me again. He will!” You felt a searing pain in your side and you doubled over as the knife clanged to the ground, Rika dropping to her knees next to you for a moment before picking up the knife and running off before anyone else could spot her. As she was running away you could hear her crying to herself and asking what she had done.

Covering the wound with your hands, you cried for help as loud as you could, your voice growing weaker with each passing second. You weren’t close enough to the cabin to really be heard, but you tried anyway.

“MC?” Jihyun’s voice broke through the deafening silence and you found yourself wanting to call out to him but your head was too hazy and your lips wouldn’t form the words anymore. “MC, is everything okay? I heard screaming.” He was getting closer to your form lying on the ground and you heard him pick up his pace and run the rest of the way over to you. “What happened? MC, can you hear me?” You wanted to tell him that you could, but you couldn’t speak. His hands pushed yours aside and he covered your wound with the jacket he was wearing, applying as much pressure as he could without hurting you more. “Please keep your eyes open MC. I’ll get you help. Luciel!” Jihyun’s voice strained as he called for the other male. “Luciel…! Come quick!”

Another set of footsteps sounded and you tried to focus on Jihyun’s eyes which were searing into your own. “We have to take her to the hospital. You pick her up, I’ll grab the car. Quickly!” Luciel’s voice sounded like it was underwater and you struggled to understand every word he was saying.

Jihyun let go of his coat that he was using to slow the blood flow and slipped one arm behind your back, the other underneath your legs and he picked you up, cradling you to his chest. “Hold on, MC. We’re going to get you help. Just keep your eyes on me for now, can you do that?” You couldn’t nod your head so you squeezed the fabric of his shirt slightly in hopes he would understand. “I promise you nothing’s going to happen to you okay? I promise.” Luciel pulled his car as close to the clearing as possible and Jihyun laid you down in the backseat before getting in next to you and cradling your head in his lap with one hand, the other one back at your side where his jacket was.

-

The first thing you heard when you awoke was beeping. Steady, constant beeping that was already starting to give you a headache. Then when your eyes opened, you were staring at a bright white light and ceiling. There was a hand squeezing yours and you turned your head to meet an unfamiliar face. You opened your mouth to speak, but no words would come out.

The man silently got up and poured you a cup of water before helping you sit up. “The nurses said you’d probably be thirsty when you woke up.” He stated, reaching above your bed and pressing the button that signaled to the nurses you needed assistance.

“Who are you?” You asked after drinking the whole cup of water in one gulp, tugging lightly at the various wires coming out of your left arm. The man put his hand over yours to stop you from doing so.

“You’re telling me you don’t recognize me, MC? Although it has been a long time, I would have thought you would know my face.” The man had a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips and he patted your hand softly. “I’m Jumin.”

“Jumin? But where’s Jihyun?” You questioned, and the heartbeat monitor picked up as you sat up, moving to pull at the wires again.

Jumin’s strong hand gripped your shoulder where Rika’s nails had dug in, leaving deep marks, and you whimpered, cowering away from him and settling back into the bed. “Did I hurt you? I am extremely sorry I was just trying to-“

“I’m fine,” you cut him off. “Where’s Luciel and Jihyun? Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital, MC. Three nights ago, you got hurt extremely bad. I don’t know the full extent of what happened, that’ll be something for either Luciel or V to explain to you. Luciel has left for a while, he had something to take care of. And Jihyun is currently in a procedure.” Jumin’s face, while remaining stoic, had a hint of kindness to it, almost like he was talking to a child and had no idea how.

“A procedure?” Your heartbeat sped up again. “Is he alright?”

Jumin waited for your heartbeat to slow down before answering. “Yes, Jihyun is well. I’m sure you’re aware of the damage that was done to his eyes?” You nodded your head, glancing towards the water pitcher. Jumin silently took your plastic cup and refilled it for you. “He’s just having a procedure done to fix his eyes. He should be done within the next few hours.”

As Jumin was explaining, two nurses came in and began checking your vitals. They explained to you how to dress your wound and how often to change it, as well as everything you needed to know about pain medication. At the end of the day you were able to be discharged under Jumin’s signature but they wanted to keep you for a few hours while you were awake, just to make sure everything was okay.

As they were leaving, Luciel walked in, and smiled at you when he saw you were awake and talking to Jumin. “MC, hey! How are you feeling?”

“Like I got stabbed with a knife.” You deadpanned and both the men standing around your bed stared at you with blank expressions. Laughing, you patted an empty spot on the bed and Luciel sat down, hesitantly putting your arms around your shoulder. “Have you heard anything about Jihyun?”

“Not yet, but his surgery should be done fairly soon. When can you leave?” Luciel asked and you watched as Jumin pulled out his phone to check the time.

“As soon as Mr. CEO here signs off on my paperwork.” You gestured to the manilla folder sitting at the foot of your bed. “I want to be out of this bed when Jihyun wakes up.”

Jumin teasingly rolled his eyes at you before going to pick up the folder. “This is what you need me to sign?” He asked, briefly leafing through the various pages. “It might take a few hours, I’ll need Assistant Kang to look over everything before I sign it.”

“Juumin,” you whined and buried your head in Luciel’s shoulder. “Please?”

“Alright. Seven, if you’d like to retrieve MC’s clothes so she could change into something else, I’m sure she would be much obliged.” The redhead left your side and you smiled gratefully at him as he crossed the room to grab the big plastic bag with your belongings in them but upon further inspection, the articles of clothing in the bag were nothing you’d ever seen before.

“I think there’s been a mix up. This isn’t mine.” You held up a light green and white striped a-line dress and Jumin shook his head.

“We couldn’t let you leave here in bloody and ripped clothes so I had Assistant Kang pick this out for you. We figured a flowing dress would be easiest since you don’t want to put pressure on your wound.”

“I appreciate everything you both have done for me. Thank you.” You looked at them both, heart swelling in adoration in the two opposites standing next to the other. “Could you please leave so I can get dressed? Unless you want to watch, but I don’t think you do.” They both flushed and quickly made their way out into the waiting room. After carefully dressing yourself, one of the nurses from earlier came to check on you and she insisted on helping you to the waiting room. Sitting down next to Luciel, you leaned your head on his shoulder. “Any news?”

“He just came out of surgery but hasn’t woken up yet. He will need to keep the bandages on his eyes for a few days and then wear some special glasses to protect his eyes for a while. They said the surgery went smoothly and the results should be positive, but they won’t know until his eyes heal.” Jumin replied, scrolling through his phone. “Would it make you less stressed to see a picture of Elizabeth the 3rd?”

You were about to question who that was when Luciel suddenly interjected. “Aw Elly! You have to show Elly to MC, she’s so cute!”

You covered Luciel’s mouth with your hand as Jumin faced his screen towards you, a picture of a gorgeous white haired cat with bright blue eyes staring back at you. “She’s a beautiful cat, Jumin.”

“Thank you, I make it my duty to care for her every day and night. She has been away with my assistant since I’ve been here and I miss her dearly.” Jumin sighed and pulled his phone back, scrolling through other pictures of his cat, a forlorn look on his face.

Luciel licked your hand and you shrieked, pulling your hand away and rubbing his spit on his sweatshirt. “You’re disgusting.”

“Maybe, but you loooove me.” He teased, booping you on the nose. You rolled your eyes and settled back into his side, your eyes closing.

-

Two days after you and Jihyun were discharged from the hospital, you both laid on the couch in Jumin’s penthouse, each sprawled out on one side of the couch. There was an old movie playing quietly on the TV but neither of you could be bothered to watch, the book in your hands was more than enough entertainment for the time being. Your mint haired friend sat with a sketch book and some charcoal pencils in his lap, but his hands were stilled and his head was tilted back.

Jumin insisted on having both you and Jihyun stay at his penthouse while you recovered since he could have a nurse that came a few times a day to check on both of you, as well as keeping an eye on the two of you himself when he was home. He’d never admit it to either of you, but he was happy that the circumstances of everything helped reconnect you to both him and Jihyun.

“MC,” Jihyun called to you and you looked up from the page you were reading.

“Are you alright?” You asked, setting down your book. Jihyun had gotten the bandages taken off his eyes earlier that day, and you wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything wrong.

“Yes, I’m well, thank you. I just can’t sleep.” You slowly got up, careful of your stitches and you settled down next to him, opening your arm on your good side for him.

“Here, lay with me, see if that helps.” Jihyun carefully maneuvered himself to where he was laying with his head on your stomach, his arm wrapped carefully around your side as one of your hands settled on his back, rubbing soothing circles and the other one fell to his hair, gently detangling the knots that had started to form. Before long, his breathing slowed and soft snores started filling the room over the sounds of the TV. You settled down into the couch a bit more, careful not to disturb the sleeping man you were holding and you closed your eyes, easily falling into a light sleep.

When Jumin walked through the door of the penthouse about an hour later, he heard laughing coming from his front room. Toeing off his shoes, he made his way to where the noise was coming from and found you and Jihyun lying together, laughing at something he was showing you on his phone. “Jihyun, I presume your eyes are starting to heal?”

Jihyun picked his head up from your stomach, adjusting the protective glasses on his nose. “Yes, Jumin, thank you for recommending this eye surgeon for me.”

“And MC, how about your stitches?” Jumin questioned, setting himself down on the couch and patting his lap, inviting Elizabeth up.

“Getting better every day.” You beamed and Jumin smiled at how happy his two oldest friends looked in that moment.

“I’m very glad it seems both of you are having an easy recovery. Hopefully soon you both will be back to being fully mobile.” Jumin ran his hands over Elizabeth the 3rd’s back as he spoke, looking up at you and Jihyun every once in a while.

“Speaking of recovery,” Jihyun cleared his throat and looked at his two friends nervously. “I’ve decided that after my eyes heal, I’m going to go away for some time. I need time away from this city to figure out who I am without Rika. I want to reinvent myself as an artist, just like my mother always encouraged. I want to go away to be able to come back and try to love someone again.”

You felt disappointment blossoming in your chest and your stomach felt like it does after a huge drop on a rollercoaster. Selfishly, you didn’t want Jihyun to leave; you had only just reconnected with him and Jumin and you wanted to be able to spend some time with your friends, not having to worry about hiding or any secrets being kept. But you also knew that going away would be better for him in the long run. “Jihyun, you know I will alway support you no matter what you want to do. I will miss you, but we can stay in touch.”

“As will I,” Jumin stopped petting Elizabeth and was staring intently at his friend. “I will be here when you get back.”

-

Two years after Jihyun had left for his trip, the RFA had finally decided to host parties again. After he left, Jumin made you the party coordinator, with Jihyun’s permission of course, and although you became quick friends with the rest of the members, there was something missing. The last you heard from Jihyun, he was in California, working on his newest painting series he called Recovery. You were glad he was taking the time he needed, but that didn’t mean you didn’t miss your friend dearly.

While he was away, you had come to terms with your feelings for Jihyun and vowed that when he returned, you wouldn’t say anything. If he wanted to pursue anything with you, he would need to be the one to tell you since you wanted to make sure he felt comfortable in what could possibly happen between the two of you.

“MC, did you hear what I said?” Jaehee was standing at your side, helping you greet guests at your first party.

“No, sorry.” You smiled sheepishly at your friend and she playfully rolled her eyes at you.

“I said, can you go check out front to see if there are any more guests who maybe got lost? It seems that we have some who have RSVPed but haven’t shown up yet.” Jaehee gestured with her clipboard and you left her side, not wanting to make any more issues for her.

You took comfort in the cool fall air as you stepped outside. “MC,”

A familiar voice called your name and you turned around, coming face to face with the man whose face you pictured every time you closed you eyes. “Jihyun… I missed you.”

“You couldn’t have missed me more than I missed you,” he replied stepping closer. “There wasn’t a single day I spent not missing you while I was away.” His hair was shorter than the last time you saw him and he had a bright smile on his face, something that you hadn’t seen since you were children. “You look surprised that I’m here.”

“Well yes, I just wasn’t expecting see you since I hadn’t heard from you in a few weeks.” You admitted, pushing your hair back behind your ear. “But I am very happy to see you, Jihyun.”

“I came back because there’s something important I needed to say.” Jihyun’s eyes never left yours as he grasped one of your hands in both of his. “I wanted to tell you this sooner, but I think it was worth the wait.” You nodded your head, waiting for him to continue. “While I was away I thought about you so much that I had originally concluded that thinking of you wouldn’t help me heal. But then, when I’d try not to think about you, it’d be worse. Your smile would ingrave itself into the back of my eyelids while I was trying to go to sleep. And then I realized you were the reason I wanted… no, I needed to get better… for me but also for you. Because loving you is my greatest sin. I would go through everything we went through just for the chance to get to love you over and over again. So, can I please be selfish for once and ask if you if you have any chance of loving me back?”

Jihyun’s eyes were pleading with you and you opened your mouth to speak but he continued. “Over these past two years, I’ve been putting together blank puzzles. I’ve been drawing and painting on them. It always seemed there was a piece missing, even once I had finished. I know now, that you were the piece, that nothing will ever really feel complete without you by my side. During my time away I often wondered to myself that if no one really cares for me, do I even really exist? But then I realized all the times you saw the real me, even when there wasn’t much to see. You believed in me to be bette and you cared for me, when I didn’t deserve to be cared for. I don’t care if I exist in a world with only you and I, I just know I selfishly want to live with you by my side. Two years ago, I told you that I wanted to be able to love again… that I’d like to love again if the chance arises. Do you remember?” You nodded, smiling at Jihyun. “So, I want to. I want to love you, I do love you. So, I would like you to have me, if you want me.”

“Jihyun… I can finally tell you all that I feel for you in my heart. You are the first dream-the only dream I was unable to stop myself from dreaming. You are the first dream of my soul and from that dream, I hope will come a lifetime’s worth of other dreams. Jihyun, please stay with me, because I cannot have another day of my life go by without having you in it. Please be as selfish as you want to be with me, love me in any way you are willing, for I will be there with you to accept your love and give you mine in return. I love you, Jihyun Kim, and there wont be a day that passes by where I stop loving you, not in this lifetime.”

Jihyun’s face broke out into a wide grin and he wrapped his arms around your waist hugging you to him tightly as you wrapped your arms around his neck, taking in the scent of paint water and chalk. This was right, this was where you were meant to be.


	2. Happy Forever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little girl brings everyone closer together

You and Jihyun were walking hand in hand back to your shared house after a small lunch at a local diner. You had a few emails to answer regarding the next party being held and Jihyun had a new painting to finish. **  
**

Jihyun stopped abruptly, tugging on your arm slightly. He led you down an alleyway, a light blush spreading across your cheeks. “Jihyun, not now. We gotta get home”

Your boyfriend sent you an exasperated look. “Get your mind out of the gutter, MC. I’m hearing’ something’ down here.”

You clamped your mouth shut, embarrassed that you thought the reason he was taking you in an alley was to make out. Jihyun continued walking, biting his lip slightly, something he did when he was nervous. And that’s when you heard it: it was a small whimper, something that you really had to strain to hear.

Jihyun had good hearing, you knew that. But the fact that he was able to pinpoint where the noise was coming from astounded you. He dropped your hand, and took off in a bolt, leaving you huffing and running to catch up with him.

When you found him, Jihyun was crouched in front of a little girl with matted brown hair and smudges of dirt covering her face. Her clothes were much too small for her, you could see her stomach while she was sitting down and she had a black and blue bruise along the side of her ribs. “I won’t hurt you, I promise.” Jihyun was whispering softly to this little girl. She was looking up at him with wide, nervous blue eyes. “What’s your name sweetie?” The girl shook her head, eyes starting to water and when you stepped closer, she launched herself into Jihyun’s arms, hiding her face in his neck. “It’s okay, that’s MC. She’s really nice. She won’t hurt you either.”

You crouched down next to Jihyun, lightly resting your hand on his shoulder that the girl wasn’t resting on. “Are you hungry?”

She peeked out at you, slightly nodding her head before burying her face back into Jihyun’s neck. You and Jihyun exchanged a look, a silent agreement of sorts and started heading back towards the diner you had just come from.

After getting some food in the small girl’s stomach, she seemed much brighter and you could see a light pink start to tinge her cheeks. She had taken a liking to Jihyun, wearing his sunglasses and playing with his hair.

Jihyun seemed to like her as well, his arms wrapped around her, tickling her just to see her smile. “What do you say, darling?” He asked the small girl, trying to wipe off some of the dirt on her face in with a napkin. “Should we take you back to our house and get you cleaned up?”

The girl just looked at him and smiled brightly. Neither of you have gotten her to talk yet but she seems a lot more comfortable around both of you than she was before. Jihyun scooped her up in one arm, extending his other hand to you. You grabbed his hand gratefully, excited to go back to the house and get this little girl cleaned up and eventually into some nicer fitting clothes.

The walk back to the house was quiet, the small girl snoring softly on Jihyun’s shoulder was the only sounds besides your shoes hitting the pavement. Walking into the house, you both rushed around, Jihyun taking her to the small bathroom while you rushed around, trying to find a smaller shirt that you owned that she could wear for the night before you and Jihyun went shopping to get her some clothes of her own.

“That’s a good girl, angel.” You heard Jihyun coo from the bathroom as you stood in the doorway, light pink tee shirt in your hand, and you giggled at the voice he used with her. “Yeah, let me just clean this real quick.”

The girl shrieked and you poked your head in, noticing where he was trying to clean: the bruises on her ribs. “Might be a broken rib.” You murmured, leaning your head on Jihyun’s shoulder, him trying to calm her still.

She looked at you, reaching her arms for you and you grinned at Jihyun, picking her up. “You sleepy honey?”

She blinked slowly once and laid her head against your shoulder. You looked towards your boyfriend. “She told you her name?”

Jihyun shook his head. “Nah, haven’t gotten her to talk yet.” Softly smoothing down her hair, he smiled at her with undeniable affection. “Look at those cute cheeks.”

Ever since she got food in her system, her cheeks were a soft pink. “She’s pretty cute. But don’t get too attached, as soon as we put her down, we need to call the police. Someone might be looking for her.” You carried her to the bed you and Jihyun had reserved for when you had guests staying. As long as this little girl was here, it was her bed. As you lightly brushing hair off her forehead, Jihyun grabbed your hips from behind and you leaned back against him.

“I know we need to tell someone about her, but selfishly I wish we could keep her.”

Turning around in his arms, you wrapped your arms around his neck. “I know, love. But please don’t get too attached.”

Jihyun brushed his lips against the crown of your head. “I’ll go notify someone that we have her, want to stay here and make sure that she doesn’t wake up?” You nodded and sat down in a chair next to the bed, silently watching her slow breathing. You couldn’t help thinking about how it would be if you and Jihyun got to keep her; even though it had only been a few hours, she was slowly embedding her way into both of your hearts.

-

“Daddy!” Lucy cried as she launched herself into Jihyun’s arms, excited to see him after he had spent all day in his art studio.

“Hey there, princess! How was your day?” Lucy was comfortably cuddling into Jihyun’s crouched form and she beamed at him.

“It was good, mommy and I made some dolls!” She cried out, giving him a big thumbs up with one had and showed him one of the many dolls you both had sewn that day with the other. The one she was holding looked like her. Jihyun grinned up at you and you found a similar smile on your face.

A few months after you and Jihyun found Lucy in the alleyway, Lucy wedged her way into your family and hearts. After a thorough police investigation, they found that Lucy’s birth parents weren’t fit to take care of her and since all three of you were attached, they let you legally adopt the little girl. It wasn’t hard for Lucy to acclimate to your and Jihyun’s life. She woke up around the time your boyfriend’s alarm went off, sometimes a little earlier and got ready with Jihyun. She usually ended up spending the day with you because Jihyun got distracted easily having her around. About a month of getting in this routine, she started calling you mommy and Jihyun daddy. Jihyun had sobbed like a baby the first time she called him that.

“Nice job, Luce! I bet you helped a ton.” Jihyun looked up at you for agreement and you nodded your head eagerly.

“She’s such a big help, she stuffed all of them with fuzz and picked out their clothes.” You looked down fondly at your little family and Lucy looked so pleased with herself.

“How was your day, daddy?” Jihyun stood up, walking over to you and pressing a quick kiss on your lips and then a kiss on Lucy’s forehead.

“Better now that I get to see you both,” you sent a concerned look to Jihyun, wondering what could have been so stressful that day, and he shook his head, turning back to Lucy. “What do you think about about going for some ice cream tonight?”

“Really, daddy?” Lucy was bouncing on her toes, and when Jihyun nodded her head, she went to go find her other dolls to tell them what was going on.

“You okay?” You grasped Jihyun’s hand and he squeezed it back lightly.

“Yeah, just a long day.” Jihyun’s voice was thicker than usual, a clear sign that he was exhausted. “I’ve been trying to finish more paintings quickly so I can sell more.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, Jihyun running his hand through his hair that has been trapped in a hat all day. “Why on earth would you do that? We’re fine between the two of us.”

“I want to be a good father! I just want to make sure that if anything ever happens for some reason, that Lucy will be safe and we won’t have to worry about anything.”

You opened your mouth to respond but closed it when Lucy came running into Jihyun’s legs, wrapping her little arms around his left one. He lifted his foot up, picking Lucy up with it as well and her giggle rang throughout the whole house.

“Can we go now daddy?” Lucy detached herself from Jihyun’s leg and reached her arms out for him.

Jihyun took her cue, picking her up and you blushed as Jihyun’s muscles rippled when he picked up your daughter. “Of course we can, princess.” You walked out the door before Jihyun and looked back at Lucy. “What flavor do you think you’re gonna get, Luce?”

Lucy looked thoughtful for a moment before her face lit up. “Chocolate!”

Jihyun laughed, tickling her side lightly. “You definitely are my kid,”

Your face fell and Jihyun looked at you, silently asking if you were okay. Once the ice cream shop was in sight, Lucy demanded to be put down and she ran through the doors, greeting people in there and choosing a table to sit at. “Now it’s my turn to ask. You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just that comment you made about Lucy being your kid.” You took a deep breath, grabbing onto Jihyun’s arm that he offered to you. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Lucy like she’s our own but she’s not ours.”

Jihyun pulled you closer to him in a side hug and kissed your forehead. “She may not be our blood but that kid loves us so much and we love her so much. Way more than she could ever know. She’s our child, MC.”

You smiled as Jihyun opened the door and you stepped in, Lucy calling to you. “Mommy! Come look! I got my ice cream!”

You sat down next to Lucy, Jihyun settling in on your other side. “That looks good Luce, you gonna let daddy get a bite?” Lucy held out her spoon to Jihyun and right as he was going to clamp his lips over the sweet treat, Lucy brushed it against his nose. Jihyun got up, grabbing Lucy’s sides with a huge grin on his face. “Maybe now I’ll have to eat the rest of your ice cream!”

“No, Daddy!” Lucy protested, reaching for her ice cream that Jihyun was holding over her head. “I’ll let you and mommy have a taste I promise.”

Jihyun gave the brunette little girl her bowl back and she immediately held out a spoon full of ice cream for him to try. “Mm, good choice, Luce. This is some good ice cream.”

“Mommy, do you wanna try some?” You shook your head, enjoying watching your two favorite people.

“I’m okay, thank you darling.”

“Hey daddy?” Lucy turned to Jihyun who was now sitting next to you, his hand brushing against your knee. He hummed, waiting for Lucy to say the next thing. “Next time we get ice cream, can we invite Yoosung?”

“You like Yoosung?” Jihyun asked, him laughing at your excited six year old.

Lucy nodded her head. “Yeah! Yoosung and I are getting married.”

You giggled, looking at the horror on Jihyun’s face. “Does Yoosung know that you guys are getting married, sweetie?”

“Yeah mommy, of course he does!” Lucy rolled her eyes and she popped her last spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. Jihyun went and paid for the ice cream and picked Lucy up, walking gently so she could possibly fall asleep.

When you got back to the house and, Lucy was not asleep. Instead, she excitedly climbed into Yoosung’s lap, pressing a kiss to his cheek. The RFA, minus Jumin, all came over, trying to finalize the details for the next party. They had arrived before you, so Saeyoung used ‘emergencies only’ key to let everyone in. “Yoosung, I told mommy and daddy about how we’re getting’ married.”

Yoosung laughed, glancing at Jihyun. “Did you now?”

“Yeah, daddy didn’t seem to like that too much.” Yoosung giggled along with Lucy and you watched endearingly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, falling asleep within a few moments. Yoosung spent the rest of the night on the couch, holding your daughter and speaking in hushed tones, careful not to wake her.

-

Lucy giggled, running into Jihyun’s legs, shrieking as he picked her up and threw her in the air. “Daddy! Put me down!”

Jihyun put down Lucy and sitting down next to you, giving you a quick kiss as a hello. You smiled. “You finished early today.” You and Lucy were sitting in your front lawn, various blankets covering the grass, and toys strewn everywhere.

“Yeah, figure I’d take a short day so I can be with you guys.” Jihyun’s arms wrapped around your waist and you laughed as Lucy pushed her way in between you two.

“Daddy, when everyone gets here, can we play duck duck goose with Yoosung and Uncle Jumin?” Jihyun laughed, recently Lucy’s been calling Jumin her uncle and no one knows where it came from. It makes everyone laugh.

Since the RFA all got more attached to Lucy, you and Jihyun made it a tradition for everyone to come over and spend “family time” once a week.

“We’ll have to see, Luce. Your old man can’t run like he used to.” Jihyun grabbed his paintbrush out from behind his ear, and Lucy grabbed it out of his hand, placing it behind her ear, just like her father had it..

“Well then Zen can play!” Lucy cried out happily, spotting Zen’s form walking closer to the small group .

“What did you just volunteer me for, yayoulittle monster?” Lucy squealed in fake horror, going to hide behind you, her small fingers digging into your sides.

Zen picked up Lucy from behind, tickling her sides, her joyous giggle ringing down to the street corner. Since Lucy’s gotten to know the other members of the RFA, she quickly took a liking to Zen, teasing him as a younger sister would tease her older brother. It was obvious Zen felt the same way about her because whenever she was in the room with him, he was holding her close or playing with her hair. Jihyun would never admit it but you could always tell: he got jealous when Lucy hung on Zen or any other older male figure.

“When we get inside, me, you, Uncle Jumin, and Yoosung are going to play duck duck goose!” Lucy exclaimed happily, wrapping her arms around Zen’s neck.

You looked at Jihyun and found him looking down at you still. “You guys can go on ahead inside, I’ve got to clean this up and then head to the store to get things for dinner. ”

Jihyun frowned, taking a few toys from your hands. “Zen, I’m gonna stay and help MC, could you maybe take Luce inside and get her cleaned up some?”

Zen grinned at Lucy. “Hear that? It’s me and you tonight, gorgeous.”

Lucy’s lower lip started to tremble and a tear rolled down her cheek. “But I want mommy and daddy!”

Jihyun quickly took her into his arms, you going to wipe her tears. “Baby, daddy and I will be home in a little bit. We just gotta go and get something yummy to eat.”

“Yeah, Luce. You can go home and practice playing duck duck goose with Uncle Jumin and Zen and Yoosung so when I get home, we can play it for real and you’ll be so good at it.”

Lucy let out another sob. “But I’m already good at it!”

You giggled quietly and Lucy sent you a betrayed look. You shut your mouth and looked your daughter softly. “Zen’ll help you put on a pretty dress that matches your doll. You love playing dress up! And Zen makes it so fun.”

“But only when you guys are there.” Zen reached his hands out for Lucy, despite her loud protests.

“The longer we’re here, the longer it takes for mommy and daddy come back. Let’s go inside and get ready to see Yoosung?”

Lucy brightened up at Yoosung’s name. “I love Yoosung.”

You giggled, looking at Jihyun’s annoyed face. “I know, so we’re gonna go play with him while mommy and daddy get dinner and by the time we’re done playing, mommy and daddy will be on their way home.” Zen set Lucy down and took her hand leading her away from the front lawn and you smiled; it was nice to have people around who loved Lucy almost as much as you and Jihyun did.

Once you and Jihyun got back to the house from grabbing some noodles and vegetables for everyone to eat for dinner, you found Jumin, Zen, Yoosung, Saeyoung, Saeran and Jaehee sitting on the floor while Lucy was walking around them, tapping their heads. How she got all of them to agree was a mystery to you, but it was endearing to watch, nonetheless. “Duck, duck, duck… GOOSE!”

She tapped Saeyoung on the head and started sprinting around the circle, setting herself down in his spot before he had a chance to tag her. “Room for one more?”

Lucy’s head shot toward Jihyun’s voice and she quickly moved to push Saeran aside. “There’s room right next to me daddy!”

Jihyun settled in next to Lucy and brushed a piece of her hair back. “This is a lot more people playing duck duck goose than what you planned before.”

Lucy grinned at Jaehee and she smiled right back. “They can’t say no to me, I’m too cute.”

-

You frowned as Lucy stomped into the house, a pout on her face as Jihyun trailed behind, calling out to her. “Luce, come on sweetheart.”

Lucy turned around sticking her tongue out at her dad. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

After Lucy disappeared from the living room, you wrapped your arms around Jihyun’s neck, him burying his face in the crook of your shoulder. “What happened?”

“She asked me if she was allowed to go around the neighborhood by herself with some friends.” Jihyun’s voice was muffled but you could still understand him.

“And you told her no?” You stroked your hand through the hair on his neck and he nodded his head.

“She’s too little! She could get lost. Or worse, some other family could decide they want a little girl with curly brown hair and pink cheeks and they’ll just pluck her off the street and I’ll never see my little girl again.” Jihyun sniffed against your shoulder and your heart broke when you realized that he was crying.

“Hey, Lucy loves us just as much as we love her. She wouldn’t even think about leaving, and if she was going to get taken, she’d fight and there would be someone around who could help her.” Jihyun pulled away, rubbing at his eyes. “I think we should let her try going alone.” Jihyun opened his mouth to start to argue but you cut in before he could. “Tell her she’s allowed to walk alone to the library with some friends. If she does well with that, we can let her go other places close to here as well.”

“I guess it would be good for Lucy to start be coming independent. When we were this age, we were walking around the neighborhood like we owned it..” Jihyun rubbed his hand down his face. “But we should talk to her about it first, safety precautions and all that.” You nodded your head, agreeing. Jihyun smiled softly, grabbing your hand and going to find Lucy.

“Alright Lucy,” Jihyun knelt down in front of the seven year old. “You be safe out there, if someone looks scary, you don’t have to say anything, just run home with your friends.” Jihyun pressed his palm to her cheek and Lucy squirmed away, antsy to go off with her friends who were waiting in front of the house. “And one last thing, if you don’t like this, come find mommy or me and we’ll walk with you.”

Lucy nodded her head. “I’ll be fine,” she pressed a kiss to each of your cheeks before running out the door. “C’mon, let’s go!”

You smiled, watching Lucy run off with her friends. You turned to Jihyun who was biting on his fingernails nervously. “She’ll be fine, you know that, right? She’s a smart kid.”

“She’s growing’ up so fast.” Jihyun looked down at his socked feet.

“She’ll always be your little girl,” You reminded him, resting a hand on Jihyun’s shoulder.

Jihyun laughed, pressing a kiss to your temple as he wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you into his side. “She’ll always be _our_ little girl.”

You didn’t see Lucy at lunch time, and so you assumed she was having a good time with her friends. When she walked in the house with a smile on her face, you cast a ‘I told you so’ glance at Jihyun. “How’d it go?”

Lucy hugged you tightly and then went to Jihyun, him not hesitating to pick her up. “It was amazing! It was so much fun.” Lucy beamed at her father, and you looked at his face, a fond look he reserved for only you and Lucy grazing his lips.

“I’m glad you had a good day angel,” Jihyun said, kissing both of her cheeks.

“Yeah but now I’m tired,” Lucy yawned making you giggle. “Can I sleep in your bed tonight daddy?”

Jihyun grinned at you; you were right when you said that she’d always be his little girl. “Of course you can, princess.”

-

“Jihyun, look at her! She’s a stunner! Who would thought you’d have to give her away so soon.” Jumin teased elbowing your boyfriend in his side.

“Shut up Jumin, it isn’t that funny.” Jihyun spat out, glancing over at Lucy who was adorned in a white dress Jumin had gotten made specially for this day.

“And to think, she’s marrying another RFA member!” Saeyoung exclaimed, throwing an arm around Jumin and Jihyun’s shoulders.

When you walked in the room, Jihyun shuffled over to you and you sent him a small smile. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like this,” he mumbled, moving in to press a kiss to your cheek.

“Jihyun, it’s a fake wedding and everyone’s having fun planning it.” You gave him a chaste kiss. “Besides, this is the happiest I’ve seen Lucy in a while, don’t ruin her fun. Little girls are supposed to play dress up and I’m just glad that everyone else is playing her game.”

You grinned as Lucy ran up to you, hugging herself to your left leg tightly. “Mommy, can you go find my fiancé and see if he’s ready to get married?”

You glanced at Jihyun, whose face was almost as red as his last painting and you rubbed a soothing hand across Lucy’s forehead. “Sure, but you gotta do something’ for me too okay?” She nodded her head and you leaned down so you could whisper in her ear. “Give daddy a big hug and kiss and tell him how he’s still your favorite guy.”

Lucy launched herself into Jihyun, squealing eagerly as he picked her up and hugged her real tight. “Daddy, you’re still my favorite person. You know that right?”

You watched as a huge smile spread across Jihyun’s face and he kissed Lucy’s forehead. “You’re my little girl, you’re just growing up so fast.”

You turned away, letting them have a father-daughter moment before Lucy’s ‘wedding’ and you went to go find Yoosung. You found him in the bathroom, him adjusting a bow tie from a suit he borrowed from Zen for the special occasion. “Hey, lover boy. Ready to go get married?”

Yoosung’s face broke into a grin and he turned to you. “Lucy’s a good kid, I’m just glad I can make her happy by playing along.”

“Just make sure not to break her heart, Yoosung. Or Jihyun might actually kill you.” You put on a fake stern face and Yoosung started laughing.

“Yes, Mrs. Kim,” he replied, seeing your face fall slightly. “Shit, I’m sorry if that hit a nerve, MC. You guys just already act like you’re married and-”

“Yeah, no, I get it. Let’s go get you married.” You cut Yoosung off, holding out your arm to guide him to where he needed to go. When you guided Yoosung into the living room, you grinned at what you saw.

The members had cleared an aisle in your living room for Lucy to walk down, chairs lined up on either side so they could watch the wedding. Zen standing at the ‘altar’ which was really just the doorway to the house with the door open. You walked Yoosung down to go stand beside Zen before going and taking a seat in the front row by Jumin, leaving a space in between for Jihyun. You saw Zen nod at Saeyoung.

Saeran started playing ‘Here Comes the Bride’ on his phone, signaling that the wedding was starting. You turned around, giggling as Saeyoung walked down the aisle, throwing flower petals where he saw fit. When he got near Yoosung, he dropped the rest on the floor in a huge clump and went to go sit by Jaehee and Saeran.

Next came your two favorite people: Lucy and Jihyun. Lucy’s pink cheeks were more pink than normal, probably due to excitement, and she was tugging on Jihyun’s hand, practically pulling him down the aisle. Everyone was standing in true wedding fashion, and once Lucy reached the alter with Jihyun, Jihyun leaned down to give her a hug and a kiss and came and stood next to you.

“Alright, will everyone be seated?” Zen announced and you took Jihyun’s hand as you sat down, him rubbing circles on the back of your hand with his thumb. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the wedding of Miss Lucy and Mister Yoosung. Lucy, would you like to state your vows?”

You and everyone else in the audience laughed slightly as Lucy waved at Jaehee. Jaehee had helped Lucy with her vows and has been very excited to tell them to Yoosung. Lucy cleared her throat and joined her hands behind her back, something her and Jihyun both did when they were nervous. “Yoosung. Yoosung Kim,” she started, making Yoosung giggle. “I love you a lot, especially when you play tic tac toe with me.” Everyone in the audience looked at her expectantly and she threw you an exasperated look. “I’m seven, not a genius. I’m done. It’s Yoosung’s turn.”

You watched as Yoosung kneeled down on his knee so he could be at eye level with Lucy. “Lucy, you are such a good kid. You manage to put a smile on my face every day. Thank you for that.”

You watched your daughters face light up into a big smile and she threw her arms around Yoosung’s neck. “So do you, Lucy take Yoosung to be your husband?” Zen asked and Lucy nodded her head.

“I do.”

“And do you, Yoosung take Lucy to be your wife?”

“Yeah, why not.”

“You may now kiss your bride.” Zen said, sending a smirk at Jihyun who got elbowed in the side by Jumin.

“Yeah, that’s okay.” Lucy said, hugging Yoosung. “Yoosung has germs so I only let him kiss my cheek.” She pulled away, pointing at her cheek and Yoosung leaned in, planting a huge kiss where she gestured for him to kiss. After she got her kiss, she ran over to you, Jihyun, and Jumin, climbing into Race’s lap. “Uncle Jumin, did ya see that? I just got married!”

Jumin laughed, tapping Lucy on the nose affectionately. “I sure did.. And, wow, did you look pretty.”

Lucy looked pleased, climbing off of his lap and running over to Yoosung who scooped her up in his arms. “Hey, what do you think about going to get some ice cream as a wedding present?”

“I think that I married the best person ever!” Lucy exclaimed glancing at you.”Mommy, can I go?” You nodded your head and Lucy looked at Yoosung and whispered in his ear.

“Hey Jihyun,” your new ‘son-in-law’ called out. “Wanna come with?”

Jihyun smiled softly, glancing at you slightly. “No thanks, I have do something here, thanks though. Have fun.” Yoosung nodded, setting Lucy down so that they can go walk to her favorite ice cream shop..

You turned to Jihyun, ready to ask him what he had to do here but he was already starting to talk. “Can we like, go outside or something?” You nodded your head and Jihyun took a hold of your hand, pulling you outside of the house, you shivering as the cool air hit your skin.

“What’s going on?” You asked and Jihyun shushed you.

“I was going do this weeks ago but everyone seemed so busy planning this wedding that it seemed like I should wait but now I don’t want to wait. Fuck, I want a wedding like this, MC. Our friends, and Lucy and I want it soon. We’ve been together for what, 3 years now? I think we’re more than ready to do so,” Jihyun stopped, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ring, kneeling down on one knee. “Will you, MC LN, marry me?”

Your jaw opened and your eyes welled up with tears. Nodding your head, you knelt to the ground in front of Jihyun and cradled his face in your hands. “Of course, of course.” Jihyun kissed you, cupping your neck with his hands before pulling away and slipping the ring on your finger. “Where did you get this ring?”

He threw you a crooked grin, kissing you again. “Remember when I started selling more paintings? I was saving up.”

“Jihyun, I don’t know what to say.” You replied, kissing him once more.

“Don’t gotta say anything darling. I love you.”

“I love you too, more than you could ever know.”

-

“Here comes the bride,” Lucy started singing, sending a cheerful glance at you as you slowly made your way down the altar. You and Jihyun decided to have the wedding in a park, opting to put some money each month into a fund for Lucy in case something happened to you both. “All dressed and wide!” Lucy exclaimed, winking at Yoosung as he starts laughing. “Here comes the broom,” Lucy paused, giggling slightly. “He’s the best dad.”

“That doesn’t even rhyme, Luce!” Jihyun yelled over the bands music playing that Lucy was singing along to.

Once you made it down the aisle, you kissed Jumin on the cheek; he walked you down because out of everyone besides Jihyun, he was who were closest to. Jihyun grabbed your hands, bringing one up to his mouth so he could press a soft kiss to the top of it. “Absolutely gorgeous.”

You blushed under his intense gaze. “It’s just a dress.”

“And you look amazing in it,” your soon-to-be-husband replied, making you smile.

“Let’s get on with it already!” Lucy called, from her seat on Yoosung’s lap. You had offered her to be the flower girl and she was quite pleased with that idea, until she found out that she had to stay up at the ‘altar’ with you and Jihyun until the officiating part of the ceremony was over.

You turned to the pastor who Jaehee was able to convince to come officiate the wedding on such short notice, since she offered him an invitation to the last RFA party, and he cleared his throat, ready to begin his duties.

“Do you, MC LN take Jihyun Kim to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

You nodded enthusiastically. “I do.”

“And do you, Jihyun Kim take YN LN to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“Hell yeah!” Jihyun exclaimed throwing a wink in your direction. From where she was sitting, Lucy cleared her throat and Jihyun blushed. “Sorry, Lucy. I mean, I do.”

And with that, Jihyun was pulling your waist towards him and his lips met your own before the pastor could even finish saying “you may now kiss the bride.”

All your friends in the audience applauded when you shared your first kiss as husband and wife, but neither of you could hear them, you were too wrapped up in being as close to your husband as you could be.

Pulling away, you giggled as Lucy pushed herself into Jihyun’s arms. “I’ll always be your favorite girl,” she kissed him sweetly on his cheek and Jihyun chuckled softly. “Right daddy?”

“Of course doll! You’re my favorite little girl.” Jihyun wrapped a hand around your upper arm, pulling you close. “But your momma here is my favorite big girl.”

“Hey, watch it!” You teased. “Lucy already called me wide as I was walking down the aisle.”

“And she called me a broom, what are we going to do with her?” Jihyun asked, raising his eyebrows mischievously at you. “Maybe a tickle fight?”

“Noo!” Lucy exclaimed, shrieking and running away and jumping into Yoosung’s arms. “Save me! They’re gonna tickle me to death!”

Yoosung clutched Lucy to his chest dramatically as your daughter giggled, cheeks tinting even more pink when Yoosung pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re safe with me, my beautiful wife!”

You laughed softly and turned toward Jihyun as he tensed in jealousy. “Calm down, darling. It’s a good day, you don’t have to get all jealous over nothing.”

Jihyun rolled his eyes at you and leaned down to brush his lips over yours. “What’s there to be jealous about? I’ve finally got you as my wife. Forever.”

You smiled, connecting your lips once more. “Forever and ever.” You agreed, kissing Jihyun again slowly, not having to worry about anything besides being in his arms. Lucy came up and wrapped her arms around one of your legs and one of Jihyun’s. You broke away from Jihyun and smiled down at your daughter, picking her up. Both you and Jihyun kissed one of her cheeks and she smiled happily, nuzzling into your neck. “And I couldn’t be happier with our little family.”


End file.
